“I pick up little jobs here and there, whether it’s pet sitting, house sitting, things that are school related to make extra money.”

Kristy has learned to shop smarter, run her errands together, and she has a laser focus on her son’s future and helping him realize his dream to become a doctor.

“I’m staying on the right path it feels good.”

The contestants have been told through the Dave Ramsey classes they took, that it could take 18 to 24 months to get this new way of thinking into their system: identifying where every dollar goes, sacrificing to save, and planning for the future.

Mike Stonewall is still shaping his future in graduate school working hard to make a better life for himself.

But when it came time to go on Spring Break, Mike dipped into his Emergency Fund.

His coach Jamie Witten says it’s okay to treat yourself every now and again. “We don’t want him to not have a life. He’s a college student. He’s young. We want him to have fun and have experiences.”

Witten adds, “Mike’s perspective has changed from the beginning so hopefully those habits and the way he views money will go with him after the race.”